Pokémon TCG Pocket Deluxe Pack: Mega Launches September 29 With Guaranteed Pokémon ex

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is preparing a collection-focused release with Deluxe Pack: Mega, due to launch on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. PDT. The digital expansion’s central hook is unusually direct: every four-card pack is guaranteed to include one Pokémon ex.

Deluxe Pack: Mega draws from cards first seen across earlier expansions, spanning Mega Rising through Ruler of the Skies. It will also reissue every ♦♦♦♦ card from those sets. For players whose collections have gaps across that stretch of releases, the pack is positioned less as an entirely new card pool and more as a concentrated chance to revisit sought-after cards, while also introducing parallel foil treatments and alternative artwork.

That makes the release relevant on two different levels. Collectors receive a more focused route to cards from several prior expansions. Players who build decks receive a more reliable chance to open at least one Pokémon ex per pack, though the guaranteed inclusion does not by itself confirm which Pokémon ex, card treatment, or artwork will appear.

What Deluxe Pack: Mega includes

The expansion will contain cards previously introduced between Mega Rising and Ruler of the Skies, rather than being described as a wholly separate set of new gameplay cards. Its confirmed contents and pack structure are:

Four cards in each Deluxe Pack: Mega pack.
At least one Pokémon ex in every pack.
Reissues of every ♦♦♦♦ card from the covered expansions.
Parallel foil cards.
Cards with new artwork.

In TCG Pocket terms, a Pokémon ex is a named card class rather than simply a generic rarity label. The important practical detail here is the guarantee: a player opening a Deluxe Pack: Mega will not need to wonder whether the pack contains any Pokémon ex at all. That is a meaningful change in certainty compared with a normal “chance to pull” framing, even though it does not guarantee a particular card needed for a collection or deck.

The ♦♦♦♦ reissue detail is also substantial. Reprinting all cards at that diamond tier from the stated expansion range gives players a defined set of returning targets. It does not mean every prior card is confirmed to return, and it does not establish the exact odds for any individual card. Still, the release is clearly aimed at making some previous higher-tier cards available again.

Why parallel foils and new artwork matter

Deluxe Pack: Mega is not only about functional reprints. Parallel foil cards are alternate foil versions of cards, providing a different visual finish from the standard printing. New artwork, meanwhile, gives a card a distinct illustrated presentation even when the underlying card is a reissue. Those variants matter most to players trying to complete visual collections, pursue preferred versions of favorite Pokémon, or simply give a familiar deck a more personal look.

It is worth separating what is confirmed from what is not. Parallel foils and new artwork are part of the pack’s appeal, but no pull rates, full checklist, or guarantee for either treatment has been detailed here. A guaranteed Pokémon ex should therefore not be read as a guarantee of a foil variant or a specific new-art card.

For anyone deciding where to direct pack openings, the sensible expectation is straightforward: Deluxe Pack: Mega offers a targeted opportunity to revisit prior expansion cards, with extra cosmetic appeal layered on top. It should not be treated as proof that a particular missing card will be easy to obtain.

Mega Charizard X cosmetics arrive September 30

The expansion’s rollout continues the following day. Covers and backdrops featuring Mega Charizard X will become available on Wednesday, September 30. Covers and backdrops are presentation options for showing off cards and collections; they are separate from the contents of Deluxe Pack: Mega itself.

That distinction is useful for collectors planning what they want from the release. The September 29 launch concerns the packs and their cards. The Mega Charizard X covers and backdrops arrive September 30 as customization items, allowing players to frame their new additions with the featured Mega Evolution.

A late-October feature overhaul is on the way

Deluxe Pack: Mega will be followed by broader changes toward the end of October 2026. The update affects deck discovery, rental decks, solo play, and some existing reward paths. Several details remain to be announced, but the confirmed changes already give players a clear reason to check their current decks and unfinished battles before the transition.

Community decks will make public lists searchable

A community decks feature will let players search for decks that other players have chosen to make public. Players can build a discovered deck if they own the necessary cards.

In practical terms, this is a deck-list discovery tool rather than a card shortcut. Seeing a public deck does not grant its cards. Its value is in giving players a way to find strategies, compare card choices, and identify the pieces they still need before recreating a list. For newcomers, it could make the gap between opening cards and assembling a coherent deck easier to navigate. For established players, it creates a formal place to share a build with the wider player base.

Current rental decks will be removed

Existing rental decks will be deleted as part of the changes. They will be replaced by rental decks featuring cards from the latest booster packs, and those replacement decks can be used an unlimited number of times in both solo and versus battles.

Unlimited use is the headline advantage in the replacement system. It should give players an ongoing way to try decks built around the newest boosters in either mode. But the removal of current rental decks means players should not assume their presently available borrowed lists will survive the update.

At the same time, theme deck lists and deck missions will be discontinued. The announcement does not describe a direct replacement for those two features. Players still working through deck missions or using theme lists as a guide should be aware that those systems are scheduled to end when the update takes effect.

Step-up battles are being replaced

Step-up battles will be reworked into a new solo-battle system where difficulty rises as players advance through its stages. The existing step-up battles will no longer be available after the update, which has a particularly important consequence: first-time rewards and battle tasks from the current version will no longer be obtainable.

That makes unfinished step-up content the clearest pre-update priority. The information provided does not specify each reward or task, so players should not assume the replacement mode will offer identical objectives or compensation. Anyone interested in the existing first-clear rewards or battle tasks will need to complete them before the current system is removed.

Events around the Deluxe Pack: Mega launch

Several limited-time activities are planned across late September and October, mixing collection goals with battle rewards.

Late September to early October: A mass outbreak event will place parallel foil cards in rare picks and bonus picks. Event missions will award shop tickets for picking and collecting certain cards.
Mid- to late October: Ranked Match Season B4b SP will award more rank points than usual. The win-streak bonus is expanding to a maximum of 10 consecutive wins.
During B4b SP: Defeats will not cost rank points or cause rank demotion, regardless of rank.
Mega Garchomp ex Drop Event: Solo battles can award B Series vol. 13 promo packs.
Wonder pick event: Charmander and Drampa cards will be available to collect.

The Ranked Match Season B4b SP rules are especially forgiving by the standards of a ladder format. Rank points are normally a measure of competitive advancement; here, players will earn them at an increased rate while defeats carry no rank-point loss and no demotion. The expanded streak bonus—up to 10 wins—adds another incentive for players who are able to string victories together, but a loss will not erase rank progress under the announced event rules.

The mass outbreak event is the more collection-oriented companion to Deluxe Pack: Mega. With parallel foils appearing in rare picks and bonus picks, plus missions tied to picking and collecting designated cards, it offers additional reasons to keep an eye on selection opportunities beyond opening packs.

One purchase deadline to note

The start of the new series will also end the Release Celebration: Poké Gold deals. These offers will no longer be available in-game or through the official web store once the series begins. No prices or deal details are included in the announcement, so players considering them should check the available offers directly before they disappear rather than assuming the same bundles will return.

More information about the late-October update is expected closer to its arrival. For now, the immediate schedule is clear: Deluxe Pack: Mega opens on September 29, Mega Charizard X cosmetic options follow September 30, and the larger systems transition lands toward the end of October. Players following Pokémon’s competitive ecosystem can also keep up with the Pokémon Champions 2027 Global Challenge I.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is available on iOS and Android.